An ethnoreligious group (or ethno-religious group) is an ethnic group of people whose members are also unified by a common religious background.[citation needed] Ethnoreligious communities define their ethnic identity neither exclusively by ancestral heritage nor simply by religious affiliation, but often through a combination of both[citation needed] (a long shared history; a cultural tradition of its own; either a common geographical origin, or descent from a small number of common ancestors; a common language, not necessarily peculiar to the group; a common literature peculiar to the group; a common religion different from that of neighbouring groups; being a minority or being an oppressed or a dominant group within a larger community).[citation needed]
In an ethnoreligious group, particular emphasis is placed upon religious endogamy, and the concurrent discouragement of interfaith marriages or intercourse, as a means of preserving the stability and historical longevity of the community and culture.[citation needed] This adherence to religious endogamy can also, in some instances, be tied to ethnic nationalism if the ethnoreligious group possesses a historical base in a specific region.[citation needed]
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In Australian law, the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) defines "race" to include "ethnic, ethno-religious or national origin".[1] The reference to "ethno-religious" was added by the Anti-Discrimination (Amendment) Act 1994 (NSW).[2] John Hannaford, the NSW Attorney-General at the time, explained that "The effect of the latter amendment is to clarify that ethno-religious groups, such as Jews, Muslims and Sikhs, have access to the racial vilification and discrimination provisions of the Act. ...extensions of the Anti-Discrimination Act to ethno-religious groups will not extend to discrimination on the ground of religion."[3][4]
The definition of "race" in Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas) likewise includes "ethnic, ethno-religious or national origin".[5] However, unlike the NSW Act, it also prohibits discrimination on the grounds of "religious belief or affiliation" or "religious activity".[6]
In the United Kingdom the landmark legal case Mandla v Dowell-Lee placed a legal definition on ethnic groups with religious ties, which in turn has paved the way for definition of ethnoreligious group.
The significance of this case was that groups like Sikhs and Jews could be protected under the Race Relations Act 1976. This has led to some subsequent controversial court decisions.[7]
The term "ethnoreligious" has been applied by at least one author to each of the following groups:
The term ethnoreligious (or ethno-religious) refers to an ethnic group of people whose members are also unified by a common religious background. Ethnoreligious communities define their ethnic identity neither exclusively by ancestral heritage nor simply by religious affiliation, but often through a combination of both (a long shared history; a cultural tradition of its own; either a common geographical origin, or descent from a small number of common ancestors; a common language, not necessarily peculiar to the group; a common literature peculiar to the group; a common religion different from that of neighbouring groups; being a minority or being an oppressed or a dominant group within a larger community).
In an ethnoreligious group, particular emphasis is placed upon religious endogamy, and the concurrent discouragement of interfaith marriages or intercourse, as a means of preserving the stability and historical longevity of the community and culture. This adherence to religious endogamy can also, in some instances, be tied to ethnic nationalism if the ethnoreligious group possesses a historical base in a specific region.
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In the United Kingdom the landmark legal case Mandla (Sewa Singh) and another v Dowell Lee and others (1983) 2 AC 548, placed a legal definition on ethnoreligious group.
In this case an ethnoreligious group was defined as:
The significance of this case was that groups like Sikhs and Jews could be protected under the Race Relations Act 1976.
The Jews in the United Kingdom are a legally[1] defined[2] ethnoreligious community. Ascertaining and defining membership in the Jewish people (the question of "who is a Jew") involves both a traditional religious component and an ethnic one.
Alongside Jews, Sikhs [3][4] were legally defined as an ethnoreligious group, in the landmark "Mandla Case"[5].
Other ethnoreligious communities which combine ethnic identity with religious belonging include
   | Ethnoreligious Conflict in the 20th Century: A General Theory - Ethnoreligious Conflict in the Late 20th Century (Lexington Books) |
| | Migration and the Ethnoreligious Hate Crime in Russia: Risk Profiles 2000-2010 - Migration and the Ethnoreligious Hate Crime in Russia: Risk Profiles 2000-2010 |
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